to what extent are the principles of effective presentation universal, reflections on eastern and...

8/11/2019 To What Extent Are the Principles of Effective Presentation Universal, Reflections on Eastern and Western Culture,

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Introduction

In 1997, I developed a model of effective presentation that formed the basis of a

questionnaire called the Presentation Skills Profile(hereafter PSP). That questionnaire, a

shorter feedback questionnaire, the Presentation kills Profile ! "ther (PP ! "ther) and an

accompan#in$ %acilitator &uide 'ere all published later that #ear in the ... ince then,

the questionnaire has re$istered 'orld'ide sales in e*cess of +, copies, 'hich probabl#

makes it the sin$le bi$$est-sellin$ questionnaire of its kind1ever.

%i$ure 1 Presentation kills /odel as published in the Presentation kills Profile (1997)

In 0, the questionnaire appeared to be sellin$ more and more copies in non-2n$lish-

speakin$ territories. This caused me some concern because the literature upon 'hich the

model 'as based 'as e*clusivel# 2n$lish-lan$ua$e and almost certainl# included material

that had a 3estern bias. %urthermore, that material 'as $enerall# of the practitioner variet#

and 'as rarel# premised on academic research, at least not directl#. 3ere there potential

issues of sellin$ and usin$ the PP in a market like 4on$ 5on$6 The publisher did not seem to

1Meaning, a questionnaire focused on the measurement of an individuals ability to present effectively.

Ian MacDonald June 2014

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think this 'as an issue but I felt that an academic enquir# loosel# based on the above

question could form the basis for an interestin$ doctoral thesis. I subsequentl# applied to

stud# for a Ph. in 8ommunication (%ilm, /edium and 8ulture pro$ram) at 2tvs :or;nd

niversit# (2:T2) in 8ulture

Impact the 2ffectiveness of ?3estern> Presentation /odels, /ethods and Techniques6@ t

the time, this seemed like an appropriate 'a# to frame the issue because it alluded to the

earlier stated concern about 'here m# questionnaire 'as used. 4o'ever, I have come to

re$ret adoptin$ this approach because the problem, like the model itself, is loaded 'ith

assumptions 'hich have stifled m# thinkin$. The subsequent sub-questions $enerated b#

this approach, 'hilst certainl# interestin$, have proved to be rather challen$in$ for research

purposes

How appropriate are Western Presentation Models, Methods and Techniques when

they are used across a broad range of cultures?

To what degree, if any, should such Models, Methods and Techniques be adapted to

take account of cultural differences?

The e*pected conclusion 'as that the effectiveness of man# presentations is influenced b# a

failure to adapt presentation models, methods and techniques for the culture in 'hich the

presentation takes place. In other 'ords, 'hat constitutes an effective presentation, or

model of presentation, in one culture ma# not be nearl# as effective in another due todifferent cultural e*pectations and norms.

This paper focuses on ho' I came to re-frame the research problem and make preliminar#

revisions to the model in %i$ure 1.


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Forulatin! a "odel of Effective Presentation

4o' does one construct a model of ?effective presentation> or for that matter an# other

model6 r$uabl# this 'ill depend to some e*tent upon 'here #ou 'ere born and raised. In

other 'ords, the 'a# #ou think 'ill have a bearin$ on ho' #ou approach the task. %or

discussion purposes and to provide a frame'ork for such discussion, let us consider to 'hat

e*tent it depends upon 'hether #ou 'ere born and raised in the 3est or 'hether #ou hail

from the 2ast. Aesbit (0+), a ps#cholo$ist, 'rites at len$th about the differences in the

'a# that 3esterners and 2asterners think 'hilst supportin$ his conclusions 'ith

considerable evidence from e*periments that he and others have conducted. Aesbit>scontention that differences e*ist in the nature of communication and rhetoric, 'ith the

3estern approach to the latter providin$ a basis for ever#thin$ from scientific reports to

polic# papers is of particular interest. In the 3estern 'orld, 'hen researchin$ and solvin$

problems and issues, it seems t#pical to consider the problem and back$round of a

situation, elaborate a h#pothesis or proposition, determine a means of testin$ it, $enerate

evidence, construct an ar$ument usin$ that evidence, refute potential counter-ar$uments

and finall# arrive at a set of conclusions and recommendations. In a moment 'e can

consider ho' this seemin$l# universal approach 'as emplo#ed to create the authors model

of effective presentation. 4o'ever, before that, let us consider 'hether a #oun$, aspirin$,

social scientist from the 2ast 'ould adopt a similar approach.

%..8. Aorthrop (19BB) su$$ested that much, if not all, 3estern science has developed b#

postulation. 4o'ever, b# 'a# of contrast, he attracted the ire of man# sians 'hen

su$$estin$ that, =a culture C2asternD 'hich admits onl# concepts b# intuition is automaticall#

prevented from developin$ the science of the 3estern t#pe be#ond the most elementar#,

inductive, natural histor# sta$e.@ ome such as hih (19E0) sa' this as bein$ rather simple-

minded 'hilst other sians took even $reater offence b# declarin$ it a racist stance. hih

described Aorthrop>s theor# as a case of unhelpful bifurcation since, in his opinion, no race,

2ast or 3est, admits concepts b# intuition alone. In fact, he 'ent on to make a stron$ case


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for a historical approach to the comparative stud# of philosoph#, dra'in$ on 8onant (19B7),

to sho' that the $reat advances in 3estern science 'ere built on the approach of humanists

rather than alchemists. "thers also find numerous reasons to be critical of Aorthrop>s ideas.

In his revie' of The Meeting of East and West(Aorthrop, 19BE), the anthropolo$ist 5roeber

(19B7), su$$ested that Aorthrop>s conception of the 3estern =theoretic component@ is

overl# narro' and consequentl# limited 'hilst the opposite is true of the 2astern =aesthetic

component@ 'hich he sees as bein$ too broad and some'hat va$ue. uch criticism is in

man# 'a#s consistent 'ith hih.

F3e see an opposition of =lo$ic@ versus common sense, 'hich takes the place of

inductive and deductive reasonin$ in 8hina. 8ommon sense is often saner because

the anal#tic reasonin$ looks at truth b# cuttin$ it up into various aspects, thus

thro'in$ them out of their natural bearin$s, 'hile common sense seiGes the

situation as a livin$ 'holeF

:o$ic 'ithout such common sense is dan$erousF

r. Hutan$ :in (19+9, p. )

It is not so difficult to empathise 'ith Aorthrop. 8onsideration of the post 3orld 3ar II

period durin$ 'hich he 'rote The Meeting of East and Westnot onl# confirms that he 'as

'ritin$ and livin$ in a time 'hen concern for avoidin$ further conflict in the 'orld 'as acute

but also durin$ a period 'hen there 'as a $enuine hun$er in man# countries of the 'orld,

and certainl# the ..., to learn about other countries and cultures. "ne e*ample of this is

the e*traordinar# interest in the 'orks of the 8hinese 'riter and philosopher, r. Hutan$ :in.

4is My ountry and My People about life in 8hina ori$inall# published in 19+ 'as 'idel#

read and his novel Mo!ent in Peking'as considered one of Time>s books of the #ear in

19+9, featurin$ on that #ear>s best sellin$ lists. lthou$h r. Hutan$>s popularit# 'aned in

the >s and E>s, the latter novel 'as ultimatel# nominated for the Aobel PriGe in

:iterature0in 197, a #ear before he died. It is be#ond the scope of this paper to sa# 'hat if

2There is controversy regarding what it means to be nominated for a Nobel ri!e in "iterature. #ccording to short article in the

"os #ngeles Times by $ugene %olo&h on 'ecember (, 2))*, the only requirments are that one should be a +professor ofliterature or- of linguistics+, which 'r. utang "in was, and that a fellow rofessor/s0 should nominate the person concerned.


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an# affect :in>s 'ritin$s had on academics like Aorthrop but as 'ill be demonstrated later,

one of the real problems 'ith comparative research across cultures, even no' and far more

so then, is the lack of appropriate research material in 2n$lish. This makes it difficult to

locate published research in the culture that is bein$ considered and often results in

3estern theories bein$ applied to non-3estern situations. In some senses this ma# be

vie'ed as a form of 3estern academic imperialism and arro$ance.

The above criticisms aside, 5roeber, believes that Aorthrop>s treatment of civiliGations is

both ima$inative and sound. s a relative novice in the field of philosoph#, I too 'as

impressed b# the breadth of Aorthrop>s anal#sis, particularl# of 3estern cultures and their

underpinnin$ philosophies. "thers too find much to commend in Aorthrop. In a revie',


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particularl# his treatment of 2astern culture, rhetoric and philosoph#, 'hilst parado*icall#

demonstratin$ Kust ho' ori$inal and important his pioneerin$ contribution 'as.

I be$an this part of m# discussion b# referrin$ to the 'ork of the ps#cholo$ist Aesbit (0+)

and before su$$estin$ a mid-paper conclusion of sorts, I 'ould like to return to that field

briefl#. in

response to the latter question because, if for no other reason, 'e kno' from


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ho' intuition pla#ed an important role in m# o'n thinkin$ about presentation models.


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somethin$ intuitivel# reassurin$ about the resultin$ questions (see belo'), as the# provide a

sense of securit# 'hen approachin$ an important presentation. That said, on balance, I

'ould place m# model of effective presentation squarel# in the tradition of 3estern rhetoric

and science ! rational, ordered, comprehensivel# anal#tical and most definitel# cut up into

various aspects. s /ao (0) hi$hli$hts, 3estern applicants to her $raduate pro$ram do

not be$in b# e*plainin$ their past and their e*perience but b# statin$ whythe# 'ish to Koin

the pro$ram. This is in stark contrast to 8hinese applicants.


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espite the apparent bias I displa#ed for rationale over intuition 'hen conceivin$ the PP

model, I did put do'n t'o rather important markers that I think of as bein$ rather intuitive.

The first of these concerned the c#clical nature of the model and the iterative process b#

'hich the questions should be asked. This 'as most definitel# not intended to be a linear

model but a holistic one. The second anchor 'as in ho' I described the interpretation of

overall score that respondents received. The ke# 'ord I used here 'as engage!entbecause

I 'as stron$l# of the opinion that this 'as critical to effective presentation. I am even more

convinced of that point toda#.

:et me turn to the problems that evolved 'ith the model as it currentl# stands. Truthfull#, it

'as not until I be$an thinkin$ about ho' to research presentation effectiveness in different

cultures that I realised there 'as an# issue 'ith the model. I had never received an#

feedback su$$estin$ there 'as a problem and despite some preliminar# talk about revisin$

the questionnaire for the 1thanniversar# of its publication, that date slid past 'ithout an#

concern for, or deepl# felt need to, actuall# make revisions. o the first shakin$ of the PP

foundations came courtes# of r. :Ona Pellandini-im;n#i, an e*pert in doctoral research on

the octoral Pro$ram in %ilm, /edia and 8ontemporar# 8ulture at 2:T2 in


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side of the central question 'here one mi$ht ask ='h# is the audience participatin$ in the

presentation6@ T'o small ideas helped me to see this 'ith even $reater clarit# and the#

both arose 'hen I 'as preparin$ to run a trainin$ pro$ram in conflict resolution skills. urin$

that pro$ram in "ctober 011, I had used dia$rams of (i) the mobius strip and (ii) Jastro'>s

ambi$uous ?duckrabbit illustration, (both provided belo') to sho' that parties in conflict

are often on the same side but the# Kust can>t see it. /ore recentl# I have been able to

appreciate ho' closel# these ideas relate to the 8hinese philosoph# of Tao and I no' see the

latter as an area for further stud# and research.

%i$ure 0 The /obius trip %i$ure + uck or rabiit6 (Jastro', 199)

I believed that I 'as on the ver$e of an important breakthrou$h in m# research and studies.

4o'ever, there 'as one thin$ that continued to puGGle me and it concerned a bod# of

research in the area of ne$otiations that had been carried out b# Jean


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them the need, implicit or other'ise, to influence the other part#. I 'as therefore rather in

a'e of the research because it demonstrated real differences in the ne$otiation outcome (in

this case, measured b# the amount of value created durin$ the ne$otiation+) 'hen

participants from different cultures 'here involved. 4o'ever, there 'as somethin$ that

unsettled me and 'hich I could not put m# fin$er on. s I considered ho' to replicate this

research in the area of presentations, I became more and more concerned about s

some'hat forthri$ht assertion concernin$ the impact of indi%idualis! %ersus collecti%is!on

ne$otiatin$ processes andor outcomes

In the ne$otiatin$ conte*ts of deal makin$, dispute resolution, and ne$otiatin$

decisions in a multicultural team, I simpl# do not see evidence of a link, be#ond a

possible difference in the level of self-interest and concern for relationships.

Jeanne /.


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r$uabl#, Aorthrop>s clarit# comes from 'hat 4all (197+) describes as =livin$ throu$h the

shock of contrast and difference@ that one e*periences b# stud#in$ other cultures. In this

sense, it is quite natural that Aorthrop>s insi$hts into 2astern culture mi$ht pale 'hen set

a$ainst his understandin$ and description of 3estern civiliGations. The Aorthrop> point that

opened m# e#es 'as that 3estern kno'led$e has developed based on supposition, or in his

o'n 'ords (19BE), =scientific theor# al'a#s asserts more than observation $ives and is not

verified directl#@. fter some thou$ht and further readin$ it became ver# clear to me ho'

this has shaped scientific research because since man# thin$s cannot be seen, the# are onl#

$iven b# h#pothesis then checked indirectl# and deductivel#. In research, this often creates a

requirement to isolate different factors so that one can access the empirical consequences

that 'ill support or den# one>s h#pothesis. Ao' this is rather abstract so if I quote the 'ords

of 4eraclitus 'hen he states that =no man ever steps in the same river t'ice, for itQs not the

same river and heQs not the same man@, it perhaps more readil# e*plains 'h# 'e need to

isolate the factors mentioned above. In essence 'e are forced to stop, albeit momentaril#,

the flo' of the river so that 'e ma# obtain a snapshot from 'hich 'e can then make

deductions. This is 'hat


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up, what did we get fro! the negotiation6 It seems reasonable to assume that an overl#

individualistic approach to ne$otiation 'ill fare less 'ell in the lon$er term since should one

part# become dissatisfied 'ith the outcomes of their ne$otiations the# ma# 'ell search for a

different ne$otiatin$ partner in the future. %urthermore, one mi$ht also su$$est that a more

collective approach to ne$otiation, often underscored b# face-'ork, 'ill point to'ards

ne$otiatin$ outcomes that are more likel# to protect the interests of the different parties to

the ne$otiation and thereb# encoura$e a lon$-term relationship. Is it coincidence that there

appear to be si$ns of a correlation bet'een collecti%enessand long&ter! orientation in man#

2astern societies6 These are of course onl# assertions since I have little if an# concrete

evidence at this time to support m# concerns. 4o'ever, until s department, I

noticed a mistake in the spreadsheet I 'as usin$. I immediatel# stopped the presentation

and informed m# collea$ues and m# client that there 'as a problem 'ith the spreadsheet

that needed to be addressed before 'e could continue. 3e a$reed to re-schedule the

presentation for a later time. The pre-presentation e*pectations about our relationship and

outcomes 'ere probabl# fairl# neutral. The client 'as familiar 'ith our 'ork, 'hich 'as

hi$hl# political and frau$ht 'ith difficult#, but 'hich 'e had handled reasonabl# 'ell to that


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point. "n the surface the conclusion represented a ne$ative outcome since the $oal of our

meetin$ 'as to a$ree mannin$ levels for the clientQs 'ork areas. 4o'ever, if 'e consider the

impact of the incident on the relationship, 'hilst it could have seriousl# dama$ed

confidence, the immediate acceptance of responsibilit# and commitment to resolve the

identified error actuall# bolstered our 'orkin$ relationship and parado*icall# raised

confidence levels. 3e 'ent from bein$ seen as the consultants 'ho 'ere, if an#thin$,

overl#-focused on achievin$ tar$eted savin$s to bein$ vie'ed as credible e*perts 'illin$ to

ackno'led$e mistakes and find the fairest solution to the client>s problems. In the lon$-run

this helped us to cement our relationship 'ith the client and achieve our broader proKect

$oals. In fact, the %inance irector 'ent on to become the /ana$in$ irector of the

compan# and to this da# I am proud to possess a letter of recommendation that he 'rote on

m# behalf.

Ao' 'e can speculate as to 'hat the outcome of the above case 'ould have been if I had

been less virtuous, or professional, and bluffed m# 'a# throu$h the presentation. t best, I

'ould have had to return later and point out m# mistake, preferabl# before it 'as

hi$hli$hted b# one of the client>s o'n people. If I had buried m# head in the sand completel#

and allo'ed the client to discover the problem in due course, perhaps the outcome 'ould

have been even more embarrassin$. %inall#, there 'as also the possibilit# that the error

could have been spotted durin$ the actual presentation 'ith immediate dama$e to m# o'n

credibilit# and, b# association, that of m# collea$ues. In some 'a#s this reflects the

ar$uments in the initial chapters of Plato>s Lepublic, is it enou$h to appear moral (or

professional)6 In m# studies of both ocratic and 8onfucian rhetoric there is clear support

for the approach I adopted.

It is all ver# 'ell producin$ an e*ample from personal e*perience to support m#

interpretation but at doctoral level it is critical to locate theor# that lends support to

suppositions. 4ere I 'as rather fortunate because comin$ from a trainin$ and development

back$round I am reasonabl# 'ell-read in the area of team development theor#. In that field,


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the notion of task and maintenance behavior, behaviors that focus respectivel# on the $oal

of the 'ork or the relationship to other team members is ver# 'ell established (for e*ample

4ackman and /orris, 197 and 4ackman, 197). %urthermore, these theories are no' bein$

applied in other areas such as client relationship mana$ement (8L/) 'here rnett and and

s theor# of rhetoric can be

superimposed on part of the model and I believe that a similar e*ercise can be carried out

usin$ elements of 8onfucian rhetoric such as the notion of =Len@ 'hich accordin$ to in$

(07) is 'ritten 'ith the 8hinese ideo$rams for hu!an beingand two, thereb# desi$natin$

=the relationship of t'o or more human bein$s to each other@ (in$ quotin$ 3ilhelm, 07).

The 8hinese concept of face-'ork and specificall# it constituent parts, =lian@, the respect

others hold for #ou, and =mianGi@, the reputation #ou hold in relation to others (/ao, 0),

'ould also appear to have applications 'hen e*plorin$ the relationship bet'een a presenter

and his or her audience.


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%i$ure B raft Levision of PP /odel


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cultural conver$ence over time 'ith the e*ception of increasin$ indi%idualis!in countries as

the# become 'ealthier (4ofstede et al, 01), this does not discount the possibilit# that

norms can form around approaches to presentation due to the determinin$ influence of

technolo$# such a Po'erPoint for e*ample.


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Conclusions

"h, 2ast is 2ast, and 3est is 3est, and never the t'ain shall meet,

Till 2arth and k# stand presentl# at &od>s $reat Jud$ment eatR


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BIBLIOGRAP!

rnett, .


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/ao, :. (0) Lhetorical


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APP"#DI$ 1

%I &ee' ()* one+, (e.)n/ Men %

6$$ si7 honest serving8men

/They taught me all &new09

Their names are 3hat and 3hy and 3hen

#nd :ow and 3here and 3ho.

send them over land and sea,

send them east and west9

4ut after they have wor&ed for me,

give them all a rest.

let them rest from nine till five,

5or am busy then,

#s well as brea&fast, lunch, and tea,

5or they are hungry men.

4ut different fol& have different views9

&now a person small;

s @hild

6ipling A /1BCD0 Eust


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APP"#DI$ 2

The #allad of East and West

"h, 2ast is 2ast, and 3est is 3est, and never the t'ain shall meet,

Till 2arth and k# stand presentl# at &od>s $reat Jud$ment eatR

s son that led a troop of the &uides

=Is there never a man of all m# men can sa# 'here 5amal hides6@ 1

Then up and spoke /ahommed 5han, the son of the Lessaldar,

=If #e kno' the track of the mornin$-mist, #e kno' 'here his pickets are.

t dusk he harries the baGai[at da'n he is into s son has taken a horse, and a ra' rou$h dun 'as he,

3ith the mouth of a bell and the heart of 4ell, and the head of the $allo's-tree.

The 8olonel>s son to the %ort has 'on, the# bid him sta# to eat[

3ho rides at the tail of a s up and a'a# from %ort s mare in the $ut of the Ton$ue of Ja$ai,

Till he 'as a'are of his father>s mare 'ith 5amal upon her back,

nd 'hen he could sp# the 'hite of her e#e, he made the pistol crack.

4e has fired once, he has fired t'ice, but the 'histlin$ ball 'ent 'ide.

=He shoot like a soldier,@ 5amal said. =ho' no' if #e can ride.@ +

It >s up and over the Ton$ue of Ja$ai, as blo'n dust-devils $o,

The dun he fled like a sta$ of ten, but the mare like a barren doe.

The dun he leaned a$ainst the bit and slu$$ed his head above,


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The #allad of East and West contd

to what extent are the principles of effective presentation universal, reflections on eastern and...

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